Kimimaro stood at the edge of the clear, rocky terrain. Wind brushed past his white hair as he considered his situation.
The instant he heard a crack from behind, he instinctively jumped forward, swiftly turning around. He landed several feet away, keeping his mind on alert. From the undergrowth, Arthur Bennett slowly stepped into the clearing, disguised as Kaito.
Already, Kimimaro could sense something peculiar about Arthur's presence. No, something was indeed off about him.
Arthur paused momentarily and began, "Kimimaro… Why did you come here?"
Kimimaro studied Arthur, unsure of who he was or if this was the same person involved in this whole investigation. The silver hair and the purple robe would make anyone think that he was from their village. But not Kimimaro.
"Who are you?" he asked.
"That's not important to know right now," Arthur replied with a cool authority. "Think about it: Jūgo being able to recall that chakra-laced smoke, those vials going 'missing' the same day you departed for your mission… You came here because I led you here."
Now the Sound shinobi was now certain—Arthur was the man who he needed to capture. Dead or alive.
The moment Kimimaro prepared to raise his guard, Arthur walked a little forward and said, "There's no point in fighting someone who knows almost everything about you…"
"Is that so?" Kimimaro coolly replied. "What could a man like you possibly know about me?"
Arthur stopped and squared his shoulders.
"You were once the strongest of the Kaguya clan," he said, lifting his chin up, "a clan that sought violence and bloodshed until their ambition led them to their extinction… You were caged like a beast, only to be unleashed by Orochimaru, who saw in you an opportunity to use you."
Kimimaro's demeanor remained unshaken, but there was no denying that Arthur was unlike anyone he'd faced before.
"You've done your homework," he said. "But what's your point? I'm not here for a history lesson."
"My point," Arthur said, voice unwavering, "is that while you were manipulated into serving Orochimaru, you failed to see just how formidable your Kekkei Genkai truly is…"
Now the tension rose because Arthur didn't address Orochimaru properly. There also weren't that many enemies who knew of Kimimaro's Kekkei Genkai and lived to tell the tale.
Kimimaro narrowed his eyes as he said, "You seem to know a little more than you should… Why are you here, and what else do you know of my clan's Kekkei Genkai?"
"Were you not sick some days ago...?" Arthur pointed.
Kimimaro smirked, believing he had pieced things together. "Hmph… Go on, tell me what else you know so I can relay all this to lord Orochimaru after you die."
"It's loyalty that binds you to him," Arthur continued, unfazed by the threat. "Because of me, you were almost discarded like the broken tool you still are…"
"Because of you?" Kimimaro repeated.
"Yes… The one who treated your illness was me."
The Sound shinobi had a hard time believing that. Somewhere deep inside him, he refused to let anyone play mind games with him, especially when he knew what was at stake.
"My only purpose now is to serve lord Orochimaru," he replied with a piercing gaze. "I made my choice long ago—accepting my role as his vessel, that even in death, I could make whatever he desires turn into reality."
With that, he raised his clavicle slightly and pulled out a sharp, white bone in the shape of a sword. The flesh it appeared from closed the instant the weapon manifested.
"Camelia Dance," Arthur said, unmoved. "Am I right? Such a shame that a tool that's fixed still has rust on it."
"You'll regret leading me to you," Kimimaro warned in a menacing tone.
Even as the gravity of their confrontation tightened around them, Arthur maintained full composure. This was to be expected. Kimimaro, who's loyalty was perhaps one of the best in this world, could never be psyched out after given direct orders.
"Let me ask you something, Kimimaro… No one, not even Orochimaru, understands the value you possess. You can be a weapon all you like, but at the end of the day, your role is marked by sorrow."
"And your ideology is meaningless," Kimimaro spat back, now fully ready to attack. "I won't allow you to speak of things you don't understand."
"I wonder whose side you'll choose," Arthur said, cracking his neck with one hand, "after I show you a true lord at work…"
Kimimaro lunged forward, aiming his weapon straight at Arthur's heart. Arthur slowly sidestepped the attack with seamless grace.
"Impressive," he calmly remarked while still in the midst of his dodge, "but that was the wrong move…"
Kimimaro twisted in midair, propelling himself into a flurry of new attacks. Arthur's body, however, was moving too fluidly—he was evasive, reading Kimimaro's intent. Just as the sharp edges of the bone were going to slice his face off, Arthur spun and struck back, landing a direct blow that put distance between them.
Bang!
Kimimaro absorbed it, sliding back by several yards. He gripped his chest, feeling just how impactful that was.
"You are skilled," he grunted, "but it's not enough…"
"Why choose that white serpent who had his arms sealed?" Arthur scorned. "You could serve someone who's more deserving…"
"Shut your mouth…" Kimimaro countered. "You know nothing of what I've sacrificed for lord Orochimaru."
As straight as that sounded, he was truly irritated, to the point of annoyance. Perhaps someone like him didn't care to be mocked or ridiculed, but when it came to insulting Orochimaru, that's where he drew the line.
The ground cracked beneath Kimimaro's feet as he launched himself toward Arthur. "Digital shrapnel." With a rapid flick of his wrist, he unleashed five bone bullets, each ready to pierce through Arthur's head.
Without being the least discouraged, Arthur launched himself into the air dodge and then executed a series of flips to close the distance. The two danced with Arthur swaying like a willow, flowing with his opponent's movements rather than fighting against them.
It was a tactical offensive in which he was first testing Kimimaro's limits while understanding his enemy's fighting style.
"Just a husk of what you could be," Arthur mocked again, dodging several swings.
"You don't know when to stop talking," Kimimaro shot back, violently trying to cut Arthur's torso.
Yet all of his attempts continued to miss. Eventually, Arthur lowered his arms to toy with the Sound ninja. They were relaxed at his sides, and his posture was too calm against this danger.
Kimimaro couldn't understand how someone could dodge like he was doing.
Kimimaro was a figure known for his lethal finesse in battle, able to single-handedly take down the entire Sound Four and fight against Rasa, the former Kazekage. Yet Arthur wasn't even using his Tamashii.
Kimimaro suddenly backed off. To his own surprise, he smirked, and his eyes showed that he was both amused and disdainful.
"You think you know everything?" he rhetorically asked. "You'll soon learn why I was entrusted with such an important mission…"
With a sudden burst of movement, Kimimaro lunged forward again. His bone sword extended outward, yet Arthur had already pivoted to catch his opponent's entire arm.
Kimimaro hissed in irritation, quickly reversing direction mid-lunge, and swung his sword backward in a fluid arc. The strike was aimed at Arthur's midsection, but once again, Arthur saw it coming. He darted to the side and avoided the bone blade as it cut nothing but air.
"Impressive reflexes," Kimimaro admitted. "But you can't dodge forever."
Arthur remained unfazed, meeting Kimimaro's gaze firmly. "Your techniques are just too predictable…."
"Then let's see how you handle this!"
A flurry of bone bullets was shot from his fingers, each spinning towards Arthur. Arthur's eyes narrowed at each of them, assessing their trajectory. He dropped to a crouch and flipped to the side, narrowly avoiding the sharp projectiles.
Springing back to his feet, Arthur landed a strong kick right in Kimimaro's chest. This time, the Sound shinobi didn't move; he managed to pivot just in time before attempting to counter with a quick slice at Arthur's torso.
Arthur caught the blade with one hand while using the other to jab Kimimaro in the ribs twice in succession. It was enough to make the Sound ninja grunt and step back. Yet he didn't yield.
In a swift motion, he charged again, using his agility to dart around Arthur. He made a feint to the left before spinning around to try and slice Arthur's head off. Arthur, however, ducked even before the sword was raised.
Their exchange was quite a spectacle, to say the least. Although Kimimaro was attacking with the intent to kill, Arthur's skillful dodges made his opponent lose face.
"Your movements are lacking since I last healed you," Arthur stated, moving his head from a stab. "Can that body really last?"
Kimimaro narrowed his gaze, momentarily thrown by the sudden insight. "This body belongs only to one man…"
"What a shame," Arthur said, now taking the initiative.
He drove a knee toward the other's gut. It connected, sending a shock through Kimimaro's body, but he was quick to retaliate with a bone blade swipe. Arthur stopped it by blocking Kimimaro's wrist and then went for a sweep kick. Kimimaro leaped over the attack, but Arthur was faster.
He rose to his feet and delivered two upward palm strikes that sent Kimimaro tumbling. Kimimaro backflipped himself off the ground and stopped attacking.
"What's the matter?" Arthur asked, eyes wide. "You were attacking just fine a minute ago."
It was inevitable—Arthur could both see and read Kimimaro's movements better than before.
"Prepare yourself," Kimimaro hissed as he raised both arms. His fingertips parted, revealing the hardened bone protrusions beneath the skin. "Digital Shrapnel!"
In an instant, hundreds of bone bullets erupted from the tiny holes along his fingers. Each volley—five bullets per hand—was propelled with ghastly speed, spiraling through the air while whistling towards Arthur.
Arthur stood unmoved, his expression the same as he watched. In just that span of time, he had already analyzed their trajectory.
The first wave of bones approached, so he shifted his weight, stepping to the side. They were mere inches from him. Then the next wave came, and he dodged in the opposite direction.
Kimimaro's eyes widened in surprise. He shook it off, firing another volley of bullet storms.
Arthur weaved through the barrage. It was like watching a dancer, each movement finely tuned, each step unhurried. He ducked gracefully under a cluster of bullets, then spun to the left, narrowly avoiding a few more.
It was as if the projectiles were moving in slow motion to him, for in his eyes, they truly had been.
The clearing was filled with the sounds of bones firing as he moved through it effortlessly—he sidestepped one cluster and leaped over another, all without breaking pace.
As things began to slow down, Arthur noticed a dark, sinister aura rising from Kimimaro's chest—the Sound shinobi was activating his curse mark!
Molten spirals only slightly spread to cover his torso. It wasn't a full activation, but the next waves of bullets launched had intensified in speed. The relentless stream of bullets became a tornado, storming the clearing with no end in sight.
But Arthur, undeterred, continued to evade. His body moved—licking, curling, and twisting as he navigated through it all. He could feel his heart rate steady despite the fury of the fight.
With a final decisive volley, Kimimaro unleashed hundreds of bone bullets all at once, the assault resembling a fierce hailstorm, ridiculously fast. The sheer volume of the bullets seemed insurmountable, but still, Arthur remained completely in command of the situation.
As he slipped through the onslaught, he ducked and gallantly hopped from side to side until, finally, things ceased. There was silence.
Every single bullet had been evaded.
Arthur stood, poised and calm, whereas Kimimaro was left wide-eyed and breathless.
He had poured a lot that he had into the assault, yet before him stood a man who had faced it all without so much as breaking a sweat.
"Who… who are you?" Kimimaro breathed. It was not just disbelief; it was confusion, a sense of fear that refused to be recognized. He had fought many shinobi before, but never had he encountered someone who remained so utterly unfazed, outshining the prowess of even the most formidable opponents he had faced. "Tell me…"
"Isn't it obvious?" Arthur retorted. "I'm the one who's going to kill you…"